Letter to Congress Members Who Voted to Oppose the UN Report on Gaza

November 13, 2009

Dear Congressman Who Voted to Oppose UN Report on Human Rights Abuse in Gaza:

The House’s vote to oppose unequivocally the Goldstone Report of the United Nations Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict (H.Res. 867) on November 3, 2009, was a travesty.

To vote to call on the President and Secretary of State to oppose any endorsement or further consideration of a report on human rights abuse without even reading the report summary was stupid.  To assume that Israel must be right in every situation without considering the facts is unfair to Gaza, Israel, the United States, and humanity as a whole.  Israel has grown up to be a big bully in the Middle East.  It does not warrant or need America’s unconditional support.  If the United States lets Israel get away with murder another time without any regard for the victims, we will be announcing to the world that America does not care about human rights or humanity.  How shameful!

We at Goals for Americans Foundation are thankful that the resolution is nonbinding, but we are aware that the message the House sent to the rest of the world makes the United States look as bad as Israel.  Please study the report you were so quick to dismiss.  The only fair and intelligent thing to do is to invite Justice Richard Goldstone to the House of Representatives for hearings.  He is a proud, honest, Orthodox Jewish South African.  This should make his report more credible for you.  The report is quite fair.  It criticizes Hamas and other small armed Palestinian militias as well as Israel, but finds that Israel is guilty of more human rights abuse.

Please do the right thing.  Read the report executive summary, criticize what you find wrong with it, but don’t blindly condemn the whole thing.  The American reputation for fairness and belief in and support for human rights is at stake here.  Do you really want to sacrifice that just to support Israel unconditionally?  As one of your own, Congressman Brian Baird (who went to Gaza and Israel right after the war), wrote:

“At the end of the day, this is also about our own domestic security.  If we are seen internationally as condoning violations of human rights and international law, if our money and our weaponry play a leading role in those violations, and if we reflexively obstruct the findings of someone with the credentials, history, and integrity of Justice Goldstone, it can only diminish our international standing and our own security.”

We agree with Congressman Baird and are ashamed that your vote indicates that you don’t!

Sincerely,

President
Goals for Americans Foundation

Click here to view some of this report!

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